Buste van een jongen met hoed 1878

Editor: This is Willem Witsen’s "Buste van een jongen met hoed," a pencil drawing on paper from 1878, held here at the Rijksmuseum. It has an intimate, almost secretive mood to it. What stories do you see in this young boy’s portrait? Curator: The drawing speaks volumes through its seemingly simple lines. A boy with a hat, caught perhaps unaware, his gaze directed upwards. Note the soft hatching defining the boy's face, imbuing a sense of gentle introspection. The hat casts a shadow, creating a psychological depth. What do you make of his upward gaze? Editor: It feels almost like he is in search of an answer to something, maybe hopeful, or perhaps wistful. I hadn’t thought of the shadow creating depth in that way. Curator: Consider how hats have always been cultural markers, defining class, profession, even mood. Here, it softens the boy’s features, making him almost anonymous, but also universal. There is also something vulnerable in this sideways presentation of a boy during a time of formal portraits. Editor: The informal nature contrasts strongly with the formal portraiture that was popular in that era, and I am struck by the numerous, scribbled notes around the sketch; I wonder if these are personal annotations to this youth? Curator: Exactly! It becomes a study, a moment captured rather than a declaration. Does it suggest something fleeting, then, about memory itself? Perhaps, then, these names and snippets act as anchors. Editor: It definitely puts the image into a broader context and shows how the artist was considering the subject, or things relating to the subject. Curator: And perhaps the fleeting and continuous presence of portraiture overall. Every choice - the angle, the light, the inscription - pulls meaning to the surface, reminding us that every image has a purpose. Editor: It has been fascinating considering all these layers of potential narrative held within a drawing of such subtle lines!